Thundercaller Custom Ceremonial Drums

All my drums are crafted keeping the Mysteries in mind.

No live trees are cut; mostly fallen or standing dead cottonwoods are used. Nature has shaped all things in an infinite variety, so it is very rare to find a perfectly round tree, most are oval in shape and have many irregularities. Some shaping takes place, mainly smoothing the exterior in preparation of artwork application. I spend a lot of time just being with the drum, allowing me to sense what each shell wants to become (to bring it out of the rough).

I use mainly buffalo hide to cover my drums, but elk, moose, and deer hides are also used. I feel that the buffalo, along with all wild animals, have an individual energy (spirit), and this energy is expressed through vibration when the drum is played. This also adds to the uniqueness of each drum.

Humidity is a big factor in the sound of a drum, so great attention is paid to where the drum is going to live. For dry climates a drum is laced looser to insure that the drum head does not become over-tight, which would give the drum too high a tone. In making a drum for a high humidity area, the head is laced more snugly, to compensate for the moist air. But, even with the tighter lacing, most drums used in high humidity areas still need to be heated to bring them up to a good tone. My experience with working drums used, for instance, at outdoor ceremonial dances, has shown that daily heating is necessary, especially in the morning. I make one-sided drums that allow the use of small candles underneath them to provide a constant heating and drying effect. This prevents the drum's going flat.

Prior to the application of the drum heads and lacing, the drum shell is decorated with a custom design requested by the client or designed by me with the client's personal "medicine" and desires in mind. Designs are applied with a wood-burning technique combined with special natural mineral dyes which are translucent to allow the wood grain patterns to show through. My personal favorite designs employ Celtic themes, in harmony with my own ancestry.

Drum stands are available to allow for suspension of the drum while being played. This allows for greater resonance while playing. The tops of the vertical arms on the stand can be notched to support a sheet of glass to cover and protect the drum when not in use. An example can be seen in the Gallery (Buffalo Hunt Drum).